title: Association between renal vasculature changes and generalized atherosclerosis: an autopsy survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between renal vasculature changes and generalized atherosclerosis using autopsy cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  We histologically examined 107 autopsy patients(mean age, 68.4 years; 64% men; 81% non-CVD) to investigate the association between renal vasculature changes and generalized atherosclerosis. We measured the intima/media(I/M) ratio for the renal, intrarenal and systemic arteries(coronary, cerebral, common carotid and common iliac), calculated the rates of arteriolar hyalinization and global glomerulosclerosis and evaluated the frequency of advanced lesions(AHA classification ≥IV) in the systemic arteries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The I/M ratios of the renal and intrarenal arteries and the rate of global glomerulosclerosis increased with age, while the rates of arteriolar hyalinization and global glomerulosclerosis were associated with diabetes and hypertension(all p＜0.05). The I/M ratio of the coronary artery was independently associated with the rate of global glomerulosclerosis(p＜0.05). The frequency of advanced atherosclerotic lesions in the coronary and cerebral arteries was also correlated with the I/M ratio of the renal artery and rates of arteriolar hyalinization and global glomerulosclerosis(all p＜0.05). The frequency of advanced lesions in the cerebral and common carotid arteries was independently associated with the I/M ratio of the renal artery and the rate of renal arteriolar hyalinization(odds ratio(OR) with [95% confidence interval]; 5.09 [1.15-27.9] and 4.11 [1.38-13.9], respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study demonstrated that pathological changes in four portions of the renal vasculature differ. Renal vasculature changes except the intrarenal arteries were significantly associated with those observed in the cerebral, common carotid and coronary arteries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwakiri
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Yunosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuura
authors.forename: Kinta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hatakeyama
authors.forename: Kousuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marutsuka
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Shouichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Yujiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Asada
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000473:pathology*; D001344:Autopsy; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000473:pathology*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000473:pathology*; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000473:pathology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology